Radiator-shield.



J. R. HILL.

RADIATOR SHIELD. APPLICATION man JAN-'18, 1911.

Patented Sept. 3, 1918.

VIII Isl! II proved damper.

citizen of the newness.

Application filed January is, 1917. Serial no.

To all whom it may concern:

Be i known that I, JAMES R. HILL, a United States, residing at In dianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Radiator- Shields, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is'to provide adjustable damper means for regulating the amount of air assing through the radiators of water-cooled internal combustion engines for motor cars.

' A further object is to simplify, strengthen, and cheapen the cost of manufacture of radiator-dampers, making them applicable to cars in general use and also capable of shipment and storage in compact form without complete dismemberment.

I accomplish the above, and other objects which will hereinafter appear, by the mechanism-illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figue 1 is a perspective view of a. portion of the main frame of an automoble with dash and-radiator in operative position and equipped with my invention. Fig. 2 is an elevation, viewed from the inside, of my im- Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the irregular line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a fragment on a larger scale, in front elevation, of my damper applied, the view being at and adjacent, the front extension of the damper-adjusting roclcshaft. Fig. 5 is a fragment in vertical section showing the manner of fastening the damperplate to the radiator. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the washer which helps to re tain the sliding plate, and Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the front end of the damper-adjusting rock-shaft.

Like characters of reference indicate like garts throughout the several views of the The main frame 8, supports the dash 9 and radiator 10, in the usual manner. The radiator is of any usual and well known construction having a large number of vertical tubes 11 through which the water to be cooled circulates. These tubes-are joined by a series of horizontal plates or fins 12, having maximum radiating surface to be swept by air currents passing through the spaces between the tubes and .fins- The purpo e is Specification of Letters Patent.

posely thin.

. flanges 21 projectin tions 25 a: a. H1911? mmmsaroms, INDIANA. I martin-SHIELD.

Patented Sept. 3,1912.

the water the walls of which are pur- The radiators are not made with dampers for controlling the flow of air through them and consequently when the conditions of summer temperature of the atmosphere are about right for satisfac tory cooling, the winter air at freezing and below is apt to be too cold. The water in the tubes will lose its heat rapidly with a free circulation of air through it and there is danger of freezing when the engine is stopped unless the heat can be conserved.

In meeting the latter requirements I provide a plate 13, in size and shape to fully cover the radiator air openings and overlap the adjacent parts. Short rods 14- are passed between the fins .12 of the radiator and through holes in the plate. They have hooks 15 which are hooked around the inner edges of appropriate ones of the fin-plates, as shown in Fig. 5, and their other ends which are screw threaded, projectthrough the plate and receive nuts 16, by tightening which the plate 13' is fastened to the radiator.

The plate 13 has a series of vertical openings 17, and between the radiator-front and the plate 13 is a sliding damper-plate 19, which has vertical openings 20, of the same size and adapted to be brought into to rapidly cool the tubes 11,

register at one position of the damper-plate 17, in the plate 13. The

with the openings metal portions between the openings '20 will fully close the openings 17, at another position of the damper-plate and between these two positions any desired opening less than full can be obtained. Enough of the metal formerly where the openings 20 occur, is left to form flanges 21, which are made by bending the metal out in the manner shown. The damper-plate is assembled withthe through corresponding openings 17 of t e plate 13. They extend forwardly of the latter enough to enable them to be connected by a horizontal wire 22, the flanges and wire being soldered or otherwise attached at'their intersections. The damper-plate 19 has horizontal slots 23, where, the holding rods 14 pass, and the plate 19 is kept from rubbing against the radiatorfront by washers 24 on the rods as shown. These washers have integral reduced porwhich pass through the slots 23 and passing through i contact plate 13, and being thicker than the thickness of'the damper-plate 19, allow the latter to slide without binding. The lengths of the slots 23 deter-mine the maximum movement of the damper-plate.

A wire 25, of large gage, forms a rockshaft for operating the damper from the rear side of the dash. This rockshaft extends through the dash to and through the radiator and through a suitable hole in the plate 13. Its rear end is bent to form a crank 26 for manipulation in rocking the shaft, and given adjustments of the crank are held by engagement with the notches of a notched segment-plate flange 27, fastened to the back side of the dash. The front end of the rock-shaft is bent at right angles and continued a short distance to form the member 28, and is then bent at right angles to form an arm 29 in the same plane as member 28. This compound curve formed by said last two bends enables the rock-shaft to be set obliquely" to the damper-plate and operate without binding, and it also allows the shaft to be folded parallel with the plate without removal, for storage and shipment, making installation easier in both instances for the purchaser, who is often an inexperienced person without mechanical training.

The horizontal wire 22 connecting the flanges of the damper-plate has an eye 30 formed therein, near that end which is under the projecting rock-shaft, and the arm 29, on the latter is inserted through the eye, as shown. To support and guide the wire 22 at this end I rivet a plate 31 to plate 13 having integral ears 32, through perforations in which the wire passes. Having thus fully described my invention what I claim as new and wish to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. The combination with a radiator having cooling plates, of a, damper having rodopenings, hooked rods passing throu h the openings in the damper and throu h the radiator, the hooks of said rods engaging said cooling plates, washers on the rods be tween the radiator and damper-plate having reduced portions extending through the rod-openings of the damper and nuts on the threaded ends of the rods bearing against the front of the damper.

2. The combination with a vehicle dash and a radiator, of a plate secured to the, front of the radiator having air openings, a sliding plate between the radiator and first plate having openings adapted to register with those of the first plate at one position of the sliding plate, flanges on the sliding plate projecting through the openings in the first plate, a rod outside of the first plate connecting said flanges of the damperplate, sa d rod having-an eye, and a rockshaft passing through the first plate, radiator, and dash, and having a bent end entering the e e in said rod, the other end of the rock-sha t having means at the back of the dash for the manipulation of the shaft.

3. The combination with an automobile radiator, a plate secured thereto having ventilating openings and a sliding damperplate having an attachment with an eye, of a rock-shaft passing through the first plate and having a bent end engaging the eye in the damper-plate attachment, said bend in the rock-shaft being at right angles to the body of the rod and again at right angles to the first bend and to the body of the shaft and close to the first bend.

In witness whereof, I, have hereunto set my hand and seal at Indianapolis, Indiana, this 3rd day of January, A. D. one thousand nine hundred and seventeen.

JAMES R. HILL. [L. s.] 

